Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Dasmarinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Dasmarinas

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cebu and in Dasmarinas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $496 in Dasmarinas.

Cebu $915
Dasmarinas $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $738 in Dasmarinas.

Cebu $1,418
Dasmarinas $738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $980 in Dasmarinas.

Cebu $1,921
Dasmarinas $980

Living in Cebu is roughly 84% more expensive than in Dasmarinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Dasmarinas 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$4.08 ₱257

-25.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$16.95 ₱1,067

41.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$2.71 ₱171

47.23%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.75 ₱110

42.86%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.57 ₱35.76

170.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.31 ₱19.30

61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.96 ₱60.1

85.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$1.58 ₱99.4

37.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.39 ₱87.5

43.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.10 ₱69.5

24.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$0.66 ₱41.36

56.06%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.79 ₱113

13.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$4.94 ₱311

106.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$3.49 ₱219

27.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$4.72 ₱297

62.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.26 ₱143

46.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.61 ₱102

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.38 ₱150

-2.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.07 ₱67.3

39.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.75 ₱110

33.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.72 ₱108

12.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.61 ₱38.39

90.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.52 ₱32.54

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$2.88 ₱181

3.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$8.59 ₱541

-27.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$0.93 ₱58.5

32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.99 ₱125

-13.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.78 ₱48.96

1.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.25 ₱15.76

-12.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$1.85 ₱117

145.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.11 ₱70.1

18.92%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

-1.80%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

2.63%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$119 ₱7,464

$48.45 ₱3,050

144.69%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.22 ₱896

$17.55 ₱1,105

-18.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$23.72 ₱1,494

15.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$33.43 ₱2,105

-3.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$5.30 ₱334

1.89%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$276 ₱17.4K

$134 ₱8,415

106.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$10.7K ₱674.0K

-26.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$28.53 ₱1,796

73.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$19.55 ₱1,231

25.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$72.5 ₱4,561

5.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$56.4 ₱3,552

4.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$46.95 ₱2,956

548.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$353 ₱22.2K

-4.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.4

12.50%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5% 84.6% $258

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3% 23.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1% 44% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1% 15.5% $15

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8% 16.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9% 2.2% $0.9

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4% 86.6% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dasmarinas pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $17.00 in Dasmarinas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $160 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

659,019

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Dasmarinas 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Dasmarinas

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cebu vs Dasmarinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dasmarinas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Dasmarinas. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $496 in Dasmarinas – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Dasmarinas gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Dasmarinas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Dasmarinas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.